11.5-Ancient Times – Endicott Rock

I forget whether or not this is a State Historic Site or State Park but it doesn’t really matter. Endicott Rock is protected by a nineteenth-century monument and the rest of the park is a lovely beach. Once again, visiting on a Monday in mid-May, there was no admission charge. The beach and grounds were clean and attractive. There’s a bathhouse too but it wasn’t open.

The beach

The rock was inscribed in 1652 by surveyors of the Massachusetts colony, trying to claim as much of New Hampshire as they possibly could. Since this location, the outlet of Lake Winnipesaukee, was used for centuries by the American Indians for fishing (hence the name Weirs Beach – from the fishing weirs that once were found here) I’m guessing that the little “cup marks” also found on the stone were once made by them. That would make this an ancient monument indeed!

Happy travels!

The rock within its protective monument. Note the little round “cup marks”.

The monument and the outlet of the lake – the location of the prehistoric weirs